strawtarget Posted November 3, 2016 Report Share Posted November 3, 2016 I got the idea to build a guitar some time in the mid 90's. My stepdad bought me a big slab of Honduran mahogany as a first step. I never actually started the project, though. I almost started it a decade later; I ordered a sweet wenge & ebony neck from Soulmate guitars in the mid-2000's. But life happened, and the project didn't. So, another decade later, I still have the original slab of mahogany and the custom neck. Let's just say I've been waiting to make sure the wood is good and stable before beginning. This winter, it's finally time to make some sawdust! Concept: I really like the Supro Tremo-Lectric / Rhoney Oceana cutaway design. I like the more modern offset shape of the Oceana, so I'm adopting that silhouette. Both of those guitars feature a bevel or "carve" around the perimeter of the body, but I'm planning to go for a more straightforward flat-top LPS kind of look. Progress: Aside from some Inkscape work, all I've done so far is buy parts and lay them out on the dining room table. I'll report back when something gets sawdust on it! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
10pizza Posted November 4, 2016 Report Share Posted November 4, 2016 good luck @strawtarget and above all: have fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strawtarget Posted November 20, 2016 Author Report Share Posted November 20, 2016 (edited) Sawdust starts to fly tomorrow! Edited November 20, 2016 by strawtarget Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted November 20, 2016 Report Share Posted November 20, 2016 Nice shape Do the crosses designate anything? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strawtarget Posted November 20, 2016 Author Report Share Posted November 20, 2016 The crosses were just so I could line up the pieces of paper I used to make the template. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strawtarget Posted November 22, 2016 Author Report Share Posted November 22, 2016 (edited) Today's progress: I cut out the body shape with a band saw and sanded to the line, nice and smooth. Next up: the neck pocket. Scary! I'm trying to figure out if it will be easier to route the neck pocket at the desired 3 degree angle, or just mill the bottom of the tenon to 3 degrees and make the neck pocket flat. Edited November 22, 2016 by strawtarget Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muzz Posted November 22, 2016 Report Share Posted November 22, 2016 Making these kind of decisions is part of the fun, hey, that is a great shape and a one piece body is always special, especially when it has grain that looks like a flying V right in the middle of it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted November 22, 2016 Report Share Posted November 22, 2016 Yes - looking good Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
10pizza Posted November 22, 2016 Report Share Posted November 22, 2016 either way, I'm sure you'll learn a lot! good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strawtarget Posted November 23, 2016 Author Report Share Posted November 23, 2016 I decided to mill the neck angle into the tenon and route the neck pocket flat. I think it worked out okay! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KnightroExpress Posted November 23, 2016 Report Share Posted November 23, 2016 Looks good to me! I'm really digging the wenge neck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted November 23, 2016 Report Share Posted November 23, 2016 13 hours ago, strawtarget said: I decided to mill the neck angle into the tenon and route the neck pocket flat. That is typically the path I take as well, but either work equally well. SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2.5itim Posted November 23, 2016 Report Share Posted November 23, 2016 I have to think that cutting the neck tenon at an angle would have to be easier than cutting the body. I have only cut the body at the angle in the past and the setup time takes me forever, I think I will try the tenon route next time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strawtarget Posted November 24, 2016 Author Report Share Posted November 24, 2016 I test-fit the neck this morning and it fit nice and snug! Woo! Then I made a template and routed the pickup cavities. I also drilled the bridge posts after spending a solid 45 minutes measuring, re-measuring, googling, and generally stressing out about their correct location given my chosen scale length, bridge type, neck angle, etc. Here's hoping I got it right! Question: In the last pic, you'll see that the tenon sticks up above the surface of the guitar. Most of this material will be removed to make way for the neck pickup. But the material between the fingerboard and the pencil line will need to go. I'd like to make this flush with the body so that the pickup ring can sit flat on it. How is this best done? Mask off the end of the fingerboard and very carefully file it? Or carefully make a guide and route it away in a single pass? Thx!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curtisa Posted November 24, 2016 Report Share Posted November 24, 2016 If it were me I'd build up some kind of temporary formwork/guide out of scrap MDF around the area and route it flush to the top after the neck was glued in. Just take a nibble at a time with the router and check your progress frequently. Trying to trim that area flush with the neck out of the body and then fitting it later would be extremely difficult and prone to error. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zoltar Posted November 24, 2016 Report Share Posted November 24, 2016 I really like the shape of this guitar. You've given it lovely flowing lines and a really nice dynamic but balanced look. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strawtarget Posted November 24, 2016 Author Report Share Posted November 24, 2016 Curtisa: thx for the advice; I'll try that. Zoltar: thanks! I like the shape too. I can't take credit; I copied the shape from the Rhoney Oceana. I believe it's a modernization of the Supro Tremo-Lectric of the mid-60's. Both of those guitars feature a cool perimeter carve / chamfer on the top, but I'm going simple flat-top for this one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strawtarget Posted November 26, 2016 Author Report Share Posted November 26, 2016 Today I removed material from the neck tenon to make way for the pickup. This was a little bit harrowing because the neck has taper, so I had to devise a shim matching the taper angle and tape it to the side of the neck to ensure square cuts on the band saw. I also made the remaining little strip of neck wood flush with the top of the body using the curtisa method. I also drilled and routed out the control cavity and started working on a cavity cover from a cut-off piece of the body. Next up: drill the 7/8" hole for the input jack. I tried this with a hand drill on a piece of scrap, and it was no fun at all. I'd really like to use the drill press, but that means I'm going to have to rig up some bizarre jig that holds the body upright so I can drill into the edge. How is this ordinarily done? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legoheads Posted November 26, 2016 Report Share Posted November 26, 2016 (edited) Life certainly does get in the way. It took me around 6 years to finish my first build, still nowhere near as long as your procrastination though Looks like you're full speed ahead on it right now. Certainly promises to be a good-looking guitar. Edited November 26, 2016 by Legoheads Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curtisa Posted November 26, 2016 Report Share Posted November 26, 2016 Here's how I do it on the drill press: But it's a lot of faffing around for one body. Most drill press tables can be unlocked from flat and swivel side to side You can clamp the body to the table (securely!) and swing it so that it sits vertically under the drill bit. If your workbench vise is big enough to hold a body you could clamp it in so that you're drilling down vertically onto the jack hole with a power drill? You'd need to go carefully to ensure you were drilling straight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strawtarget Posted November 27, 2016 Author Report Share Posted November 27, 2016 I ended up doing just that; turned the drill press table vertical and clamped the body to it. Worked like a charm! I started with a 1" bit and went just deep enough to countersink the flange of the electrosocket jack plate. Then I went the rest of the way with a 7/8" bit. I really like the look of the electrosocket, but there's some tear-out in the end grain from the forstner bit. It didn't tear all the way out, but I'm afraid it will when I sand the body. Is there a stain-compatible (Wudtone) trick to stabilize this grain so it stays put when I sand? If not, I can just buy a normal rectangular or "football" jack plate and it will cover up the problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curtisa Posted November 27, 2016 Report Share Posted November 27, 2016 I reckon you could subtly re-profile that edge of the body around the socket when you sand and you'd never notice the difference in body shape. I'd just sand the area completely until the imperfection disappears and then blend the affected area into the natural curve of the body outline. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted November 27, 2016 Report Share Posted November 27, 2016 1 hour ago, curtisa said: I reckon you could subtly re-profile that edge of the body around the socket when you sand and you'd never notice the difference in body shape. I'd just sand the area completely until the imperfection disappears and then blend the affected area into the natural curve of the body outline. Yes - I would do this too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strawtarget Posted December 4, 2016 Author Report Share Posted December 4, 2016 Today I rounded over the edges of the body (by hand with sandpaper). Just eased them, really. If you look, you can tell it's done by hand and isn't a super precise radius, but it works for me. I put a little extra oomph into the areas where belly and forearm contours would go, so hopefully it'll be comfortable. I also finished the hatch for the control cavity. I could have done a better job making the screw holes perfectly symmetrical and the countersinks perfectly concentric, but I got impatient. Oh well! Tomorrow: final sanding, install bridge studs, and then the first coat of Wudtone!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strawtarget Posted December 6, 2016 Author Report Share Posted December 6, 2016 Whoa! The Wudtone "deep color" coat ended up a lot darker than I expected. Looks cool, though! I just hope it doesn't get too much darker after a couple of "base color" coats. I didn't end up installing the bridge studs before beginning to apply finish. I wonder if I'll regret this because some finish is definitely getting in the holes. I think I'll try to mask off the walls of the holes before the next coat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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